The word "ultrabook" seems to be on everyone's lips lately. Ever since Intel's May 31 announcement at Computex, we've been treated to an endless deluge of rumors and reports about what upcoming ultrabooks will look like, how much they'll cost, which manufacturers plan to have the first systems out the door, and whether we'll see any Hello Kitty-branded models.

What is an ultrabook? Intel defines this new category of systems as "thin, light and beautiful designs that are less than 21mm (0.8 inch) thick, and [positioned] at mainstream prices." We were told at Computex that Intel aims for ultrabooks to cost ...